• Presentation: "Applying to College: How to Write a Personal Statement"

• "Essays That Worked" from Johns Hopkins University

• "Common Application Personal Statement" from Tufts University

• "Tips for Writing an Effective Application Essay" from the CollegeBoard.

You've had an entire year to grow as a person and student, and now you will be writing about yourself, again. This time your personal statement will be even better! That being said, feel free to peruse some of the magazines (1 & 2) from the previous G10 classes. This is what we will produce as a class, but it can only be accomplished with everyone's individual effort.

​​When was the last time your really put some thought into applying to college? Was it at the beginning of last year? Regardless, you need to keep this in the back of your mind.  It may seem like a ways away; however, you will be a senior applying to universities before you know it. So get ready to explore some tips and checklists from the Common App - ideas that you can implement now to succeed in the future: "Your Path to College."

​"What makes you, you? Is it how you think of yourself, how others think of you, or something else entirely?"

Philosopher Julian Baggini explores these questions in his TED Talk, "Is There a Real You?"

How does society's perception of us affect our identity?

• Keep the above question in mind as we read Frank Tashlin's short story, "The Bear That Wasn't".

• After reading the short story, we will work through this identity activity as a class.

​Now that we've contemplated our personal identities, let's listen to part of a podcast episode on Getting In: A College Coach Conversation. The episode is "Common App Essay; Tuition Payment Plans; Strengths Coaching" from July 30, 2020. (Listen from 19:10-36:50.)

Afterward, discuss:

1. What ideas and tips stand out to you?

2. How do the ideas presented in the podcast relate to the previous activities we've done in class?

3. How do they relate to what you already know about personal statements?

​​Take a look at the Common App essay prompts and jot down some ideas for the prompts that speak to you.

See the requirements and rubric for your personal statement here. 

As you work through the writing process, don't forget to check out resources in the Writer's Toolbox.

​It's time to publish our work! Can we design an even better class magazine??? Get the specifics here!